The fifth installment of the Zappa Union festival, although only one day, has an extraordinary suprise.
The Band From Utopia will feature special guest Lisa Popeil.

Lisa, as you might know, is a voice coach and singer who performed with the Zappa band in Santa Monica in 1981. The performance got documented on FZ's "Ship Arriving Too Late" and on one of the "Stage" albums.She released a solo album in 1983 (featuring Steve Vai on guitar ) and, in more recent years, recorded with Weird Al Yankovic.

Four original compositions: The Modern Days Composers Refuse To Die (where Varese, Stravinsky and Zappa live together), Zapping (a surprise!), Gnok Gnik (read the reverse!), and an original composition by the young composer Michele Sarti inspired by Zappa.

For the first time we'll have a special guest, the percussionist Nazareno Caputo.

Our purpose is to play and keep alive Frank's music in our personal way: support us, support Frank's Music!

Ergo is an electroacoustic trio that has just released a new album. Their first release hails from 2006 (a private release on the Actuator Records label) while the more recent ones found a home at the Cuneiform Records label.

British jazz ensemble Emperical has just released their fifth album. It's their first album for the Cuneiform Records label, which should get them some extra (and well-deserved) attention.
This time, the quartet did not invite any guests. Tom Farmer adds: "We went into a great sounding studio with just the four of us. It's an accurate representation of what we're doing now, what our gigs sound like. This is our expression."

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

I always wondered why Jean-Luc Ponty's "King Kong" album wasn't included in Zappa's discography. Next to the L.S.O. and the Ensemble M.I love J.-L.P's "King Kong". I think it's a fabulous album.

As you probably know, the complete "King Kong" album got incorporated in its entirety in the "Canteloupe Island" 2LP Blue Note sampler set that got released in 1976.A couple of years ago, BGO re-released "Canteloupe Island".
Digitally re-mastered.
I gave it a couple of spins earlier this week and noticed that I hadn't included this CD-re-release in the United Mutations Archives. That has been fixed.

One of the two remaining Residents, let's call him Charles Bobuck, doesn't wan't to tour anymore. He wants to focus on the music.
THIS is an amazing collection.

Klanggalerie adds :"THIS is the end of an era. Charles Bobuck became visible about the same time The Residents felt the pinch of the popularity of free downloading. They, like many bands, shifted their energy toward live performance. However, Mr. Bobuck did not like touring. He preferred making albums. So he quit touring and made albums instead. Logical. THIS is a collection of music from the many "underground" albums he independently recorded between 2009 and 2016, as well as, pieces he wrote under the nom de plume of Sonidos de la Noche, Chuck, and The Residents during those same years. THIS collection is an insight into the more personalized music which Charles Bobuck, now in his 70s, created during his final years with The Residents, a legacy addition for any record collection. There are excerpts from the albums Mush-Room, The Highway, Dolor Generar, Life Is My Only Sunshine, Coochie Brake, Postcards From Patmos, What Was Left Of Grandpa, Chuck's Ghost Music, Roman De La Ro! se, God-O, Lying Horse Rock and Codgers On The Moon. Think you've heard it all? You haven't. Mr. Bobuck chose the pieces for THIS compilation himself, using many alternative mixes and adding three unreleased songs for your listening and collecting pleasure."

"The Elbow is Taboo was Renaldo & The Loaf's fourth album and was released by Ralph in America, Torso in The Netherlands and Some Bizzare in the UK in 1987. You can hear a great technological step forward immediately. Also, the list of analogue instruments played on this album seems endless. Included is one of their most popular songs, 'Hambu Hodo' which was also released as a 12" single, and a cover version of the song 'Boule!' by French band Ptose. Sadly, it turned out to be their last album, the split followed soon afterwards. As with the other re-issues of this great band's recordings, we offer this new and remastered edition as a double CD. 'Elbonus' features not only the legendary 12" of Hambu Hodo, but also the unreleased 7" mix. There's also the the material that was issued on the scarce Hambu Hodo Tak Awa CD-R given away to 5 personal friends and some further unreleased stuff. A must-have."

Friday, April 1, 2016

In April of 2015, Stick Men put on four historic concerts in Japan, 2 in Osaka and 2 in Tokyo, with special guest, legendary King Crimson violinist David Cross. The live recording of the 2 Tokyo shows, titled Midori, was originally released as a double CD in Japan only, and now is available as well via MoonJune in a limited edition of 1000 copies only that will be only and exclusively sold via MoonJune's BandCamp and during the Stick Men's 2016 live shows.

The physical double album is available only and exclusively via MoonJune's BandCamp and on Stick Men's upcoming live shows.

Arthur Barrow shares stories of his life as a performer, composer, studio musician, and producer. He vividly describes his work with a wide range of artists including Frank Zappa, Giorgio Moroder, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Joe Cocker, Diana Ross, and many others. Zappa fans will be thrilled to have a look into Frank's creative process by someone who was actually there, and see the enormous effort made by his musicians to perform his astonishing and challenging music.